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Updates will be added on at least a monthly
basis. The projected completion date of Ford Hall is fall 2009.
July 14: The construction fence at the west end of Arnold Avenue will be repositioned to install a retaining wall. All work will occur inside the construction fence and is expected to be completed by Friday, July 25, at which time the fence will be moved back to its original location. This work will not impede access to Green Street Café parking and is not expected to disrupt parking for Arnold Avenue Residents. However, temporary parking passes for the Smith College parking garage will be given to 16 Arnold Avenue residents if it turns out they should need them.
Update: The crane that will set steel at the top of Ford Hall will be delivered on Friday, July 11, in order to be set up for the work beginning on Monday, July 14. As previously indicated, the crane will be located near Belmont Avenue, within the project fences.
July 14 –August 1: A crane will be located near Belmont Avenue, within the project fence, for use in setting steel at the top level of the building.
June 30–July 11: Excavation work for telecommunications
related to Ford Hall will take place in the area of Seelye Hall and
Neilson Library. The work will take place in two stages. Vehicular and
pedestrian circulation will be maintained in central campus throughout
the project. The Neilson Library loading dock will remain accessible.
Care will be taken to minimize the impact on classes in Seelye Hall.
Please use caution when passing through the area.
Stage I: Trenching will take place at the west end of Seelye Hall and at the
portion of Seelye Drive that is not normally open to vehicles. By July
3, when this portion of trenching is backfilled, the road will be
temporarily opened for one-way traffic from Neilson Drive to the road
between College Hall and the Brown Fine Arts Center.
Stage II: The one-way road from Neilson loading dock to the Dickinson parking lot
will be closed so that a trench can be excavated down that drive and
into the Neilson basement. Vehicles that normally enter central campus
from northern end of campus will be directed down Seelye Drive and onto Elm
Street near College Hall. Pedestrian traffic will be maintained but
directed around these excavations as necessary.
June 23–25: Metered parking will be unavailable on the section of Green Street extending from West Street to Belmont Avenue, in order to facilitate delivery of mechanical equipment to the Ford Hall site. Green Street will remain open to through traffic and the metered parking lower on Green Street and in the Dickinson Lot will be available. A police officer will be on site to manage traffic flow.
Current: The closure of Belmont Avenue from the Green Street entrance to the service driveway next to the Mendenhall Center for the Performing Arts will continue through September 8, 2008.
Summer Construction Schedule: From June 7 through August 29, 2008, the construction work schedule will be Monday through Friday from 7 a.m.–6 p.m. There will be activity on the construction site most Saturdays from 8 a.m.–4 p.m.
June 10 and 11: The last roof level concrete pours are scheduled and are expected to be completed by 6:30 p.m. on both days.
June 11 and 13: The remaining lower level concrete pours are scheduled and are expected to be completed by 8 p.m. on both days.
June 4 and 5: There will be two cement slab pours for Ford Hall from the Belmont Avenue side of the site. One cement pour will be to the lower level of the building and the other will be to the roof level. This work will begin at 7 a.m. and is expected to be completed by 7 p.m. As stated previously, this type of work extends past normal work hours because the nature of the material requires the work to be accomplished without interruption in a single day.
May 21 and 28: Cement slab pours to the lower level of Ford Hall will occur from the Belmont Avenue side of the site. This work will begin at 8 a.m. and conclude no later than 10:30 p.m. on each day. As stated previously, this type of work extends past normal work hours because the nature of the material requires the work to be accomplished without interruption in a single day.
Current: Asphalt curbing on Ahwaga and Belmont avenues up to the construction site is completed. The installation of granite curbs on Belmont Avenue and sidewalks on both streets is scheduled for spring 2009.
June: Installation of the chilled water line on Green Street will begin on Monday, June 2, and will be completed by the end of June. Green Street will have restricted through traffic with a police officer present to direct traffic throughout the month of June.
There are two phases to the chilled water line installation. Phase one, June 2–10, will start at the junction of College Lane and Green Street and extend past Sage Hall and up to the west end of the Mendenhall Center for the Performing Arts. Parking by the Sage Hall circle will be suspended during this time to allow for through traffic.
Phase two is scheduled for June 11–27. The installation of the chilled water line will start at the west end of the Mendenhall CPA and extend up to Ford Hall. The sidewalk from the west end of the Mendenhall CPA to Belmont Avenue will be removed during this phase and a new sidewalk will be installed upon the completion of the chilled water line installation. Metered parking on the north side of Green Street from the Dickinson parking lot up to the end of the street near the Sage Hall circle will be suspended to allow for through traffic.
May 13: There will be two cement slab pours for Ford Hall from the Belmont Avenue side of the site. One cement pour will be the basement slab for the building and the other will be the roof slab. This work will begin at 7 a.m., but because of the scale of this work, it will extend past normal work hours, concluding no later than 10:30 p.m. While we try hard to avoid working in the evening, this cement pouring cannot be interrupted, but rather has to be accomplished in a single day because of the nature of the material. We anticipate that there will be three more pours of this magnitude, probably occurring over the course of the next three weeks, and we will, as usual, provide advance notice.
May 8: A 15-foot broken concrete section of the sidewalk on Green Street in front of the Mendenhall Center for the Performing Arts will be removed and temporarily repaired with asphalt.
May 12: Curb and sidewalk installation will begin on Belmont and Ahwaga avenues. This work is expected to be completed by May 30.
May 5–8: Belmont and Ahwaga avenues will be paved. Final grading and rolling of gravel base will occur Monday, May 5, through Wednesday, May 7, and the roads will be paved on Thursday, May 8. This schedule is dependent upon no precipitation and will be extended as necessary in the event of rain. When the roads are finished, curbs and sidewalks will be installed. The schedule for their installation will be included in a future update.
May 1: There will be a shutdown of water utilities by the City of Northampton for the installation and tie-in of a fire hydrant on Belmont Avenue. The water shutdown will affect residents of 21 Belmont Avenue and Smith College faculty and staff at 27 and 30 Belmont Avenue. This work will be completed within one working day, between the hours of 8 a.m.–2 p.m.
May 6: A pump truck will be located on Arnold Avenue to pour concrete into the south section of the construction site. This work is expected to occur from 8:00 a.m. –1 p.m. and replaces the previously scheduled pour on May 1. Residents of 16 Arnold Avenue, who are affected by this work, are provided with parking passes in the Smith College parking garage.
April 24 and 25: A portion
of the Green Street sidewalk across from the construction site will be closed to
extend underground utilities. This work will begin at 7 a.m. on Thursday, April
24, and conclude by 3 p.m. on Friday, April 25.
April 25 and May 1: A
pump truck will be located on Arnold Avenue to pour concrete into the south section
of the construction site. This work is expected to occur from 8 a.m.-1
p.m. on both days. Residents of 16 Arnold Avenue, who are affected by this work,
are provided with parking passes in the Smith College parking garage.
April 1: A pump truck will be located on Arnold Avenue to pour concrete into the south section of the construction site. This work is expected to occur from 8 a.m.-1 p.m. Residents of 16 Arnold Avenue, who are affected by this work, are provided with parking passes in the Smith College parking garage.
April 7, 8 and 9: Utilities will be installed in Green Street from the inner campus to the Ford Hall construction site. The installation will require Green Street to be closed to through traffic from the west side of the Dickinson Parking lot to the traffic circle in front of Sage Hall from 7 a.m.-5 p.m. each day. There will be vehicle access to Green Street businesses and to the Dickinson parking lot, and police officers will be present during the work hours to detour any through traffic.
March 24: In conjunction with the construction of Ford Hall, there will be road
work on Belmont Avenue up to and along Ahwaga Avenue to replace
utilities in those streets and to repave those work areas. This work will begin on Monday, March 24, and is expected to be completed by Friday, May 30. The days and hours of operation are Monday through Friday, 7 a.m.-5 p.m. The work areas will be re-opened at the end of each work day to allow for resident traffic.
While this road work is occurring, there will be no on-street parking on Belmont Avenue. Lower Belmont Avenue will be made a two-way street, with a police officer present to detour through traffic.
Residents of 21 Belmont Avenue and Ahwaga Avenue will be provided with Smith College temporary parking passes for campus parking lots/parking garage for those weeks when they will have limited or no vehicular access to their homes.
February 7: A pump truck will be located on Arnold Avenue to pour concrete into the south section of the construction site. This work is expected to occur from 8:00 a.m.-12:00 noon. Residents of 16 Arnold Avenue, who are affected by this work, are provided with parking passes in the Smith College parking garage.
Current: Due to weather-related delays, Ford Hall construction activity will occur on most Saturdays for the foreseeable future to maintain the project schedule. Work hours will be 8 a.m.-3:30 p.m. The type of construction occurring continues to be concrete pouring for the building’s structure.
January 4: A pump truck will be located on Arnold Avenue to pour concrete into the south section of the construction site. This work is expected to occur from 8:00 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Residents of 16 Arnold Avenue, who are affected by this work, are provided with parking passes in the Smith College parking garage.
December 21: A pump truck again will be located on Arnold Avenue to pour concrete into the south section of the construction site. This work is expected to occur from 8 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Residents of 16 Arnold Avenue, who are affected by this work, are provided with parking passes in the Smith College parking garage.
December 6: A pump truck again will be located on Arnold Avenue to pour concrete into the south section of the construction site. This work is expected to occur from 11:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. Residents of 16 Arnold Avenue, who are affected by this work, are provided with parking passes in the Smith College parking garage.
November 28: A pump truck again will be located on Arnold Avenue to pour concrete into the south section of the construction site. This work is expected to occur from 8:00 a.m.-12:00 noon. Residents of 16 Arnold Avenue, who are affected by this work, are provided with parking passes in the Smith College parking garage.
November 21: A pump truck will be located on Arnold Avenue in order to pour concrete into the south section of the construction site. This work is expected to be completed in one day, with additional concrete pouring from Arnold Avenue scheduled on or about Thursday, November 29. Residents of 16 Arnold Avenue, who are affected by this work, are provided with parking passes in the Smith College parking garage.
November 7: The parking spaces in Sage circle will be temporarily blocked off for construction activity in that area of Green Street. It is expected that this work will take one day, after which the parking spaces will become available.
The Belmont Avenue sidewalk will be closed to pedestrian traffic beginning on Wednesday, November 7, and may need to remain closed through May 2008. Unfortunately, the sidewalk cannot be kept open because of the depth of the crane placing concrete and steel into the construction site.
November 9: Construction activity at Lower College Lane will be completed during the day, and Lower College Lane will become open to thru-traffic.
October 30 and 31: Approximately 300 feet of Belmont Avenue, from the Green Street entrance to the service driveway next to the Mendenhall Center for the Performing Arts, will be closed temporarily as early as 1:30 p.m.-5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, October 30, and between 7:30 a.m.-4:00 p.m. on Wednesday, October 31, for exterior foundation wall placement utilizing a concrete pumper positioned on Belmont Avenue. The remainder of Belmont Avenue will become a two-way street. A police detail will be on site.
November 1: Fencing will be installed for a storage area for construction materials on the west end of the Dickinson parking lot. This will require the removal of five parking spaces for the duration of Ford Hall construction. The two handicapped and reserved parking spaces in that area will not be affected. As a reminder, the college’s parking garage typically has an average of 50 parking spaces available on any business day.
November 5: A 300 foot section of Belmont Avenue will be closed to vehicular traffic through May 2008 from the Green Street entrance to the service driveway next to the Mendenhall Center for the Performing Arts to accommodate a large crane. The remainder of Belmont Avenue will become a two-way street, and all existing on-street parking will remain in place.
The crane will facilitate concrete pouring and set an underground 30,000 gallon water storage tank into the construction site near Green Street. The tank will eventually collect ground water, storing it for future irrigation of the building’s green roof system.
October 30: Chilled water line work will occur at the intersection of Lower College Lane and College Lane (i.e., in the vicinity of Sage Hall, Tyler Annex and the Smith College Club). This will require shutting down Lower College Lane for thru traffic for approximately two weeks. The Ainsworth parking lot will still be accessible off of West Street, and access to the playing fields across Lamont Bridge will be available. Traffic officers will be on site to redirect drivers, and signs will be posted prominently.
October 23: Vehicle traffic on Belmont Avenue from Green Street to the southwest gate of the project site (near 30 Belmont Avenue) will be temporarily blocked for concrete pouring from approximately 10:00 a.m.-3:30 p.m.
October 22: Four small test excavations will occur in Green Street between Sage Hall and the construction site to confirm locations of existing utilities in the street in advance of the installation of new chilled water lines for the Ford Hall HVAC system. Green Street will remain open, and there will be a police detail on site to direct traffic as needed around the excavations. It is expected that this work will be completed in a few days.
Current: Excavation continues at the construction site, along with concrete form work. Pouring concrete for the center of the basement level of the building was started on September 26 and will occur intermittently for the next several weeks. To take advantage of the good weather, construction crews will work on Saturdays from 7:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. throughout the fall, weather permitting.
Current: Construction on Ford Hall is entering a phase where there will be increased activity on site, resulting in additional truck traffic. Trucks will enter and exit the site via West Street.
September 15: Please note: The construction site will be active on Saturday,
September 15, for perimeter earth retention work and concrete form work from
7:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
September 10-12: Rock will be removed from the construction site and will involve jack hammering equipment. This work will be conducted during normal work hours (7:00 a.m.-3:30 p.m.).
Current: Excavation and soil removal is in progress and will continue through the month of September.
September 10: Concrete form work will begin for the center of the basement level of the building and will continue through November. Perimeter earth retention will also begin on the 10th and is expected to be completed in 3-5 weeks. This work, which involves augers to dig holes for structural steel piles, will occur primarily on the Belmont Avenue side of the site and a portion of the Green Street side.
August 13: The Ford Hall webcam will go live. To access the webcam, go to www.smith.edu/fordhall/construction/webcam.php. The webcam image of the construction site refreshes every 15 minutes. In addition, for the next 6-8 weeks, the work schedule for site preparation will be 7:00 a.m.-5:30 p.m.
Early to Mid-August: Site preparation for Ford Hall construction is expected to begin and will take approximately two weeks. Equipment to be used will include earth-moving equipment and dump trucks. Trucks will enter the site from Belmont Avenue and exit through the West Street parking lot onto West Street. As a reminder, hours of work are typically 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. Should you have questions or concerns, please call the Ford Hall Construction Communications Line, 413-585-1282, to reach a William A. Berry & Son representative.
August 10: The small parking lot on West Street, primarily used by Smith employees at 30 Belmont Avenue and nearby offices, will close at 5:00 p.m. and will remain closed throughout construction of Ford Hall to accommodate construction vehicle access.
August 13: The eleven city-operated parking meters on Belmont Avenue will be relocated to the Dickinson parking lot on Green Street and will be available to the public, including the Smith community. As is the case with other city meters, individuals parking in the metered spaces will be required to pay for parking between 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. The parking meters will remain in the Dickinson parking lot throughout construction of Ford Hall, after which they will be moved to an approved permanent location.
June 28: Demolition activities are expected to begin at 22 Belmont Avenue and should be completed in approximately one week.
Sometime after Smith’s commencement on May 20, the eleven city parking meters on Belmont Avenue will be removed to facilitate Ford Hall construction and will be temporarily relocated to the Dickinson parking lot on Green Street. As with other city meters, individuals parking in the metered spaces will be required to pay for parking between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. Signs will be posted to identify and direct the public to the relocated meters. The parking meters will remain in the Dickinson parking lot throughout construction of Ford Hall, which is expected to be completed in the summer of 2009, at which time the city meters will be moved to an approved permanent location.
April 30: National Grid will begin underground
electrical work on Arnold Avenue to install electrical service to a relocated
transformer. The work is expected to take one week and will not disrupt access
to Arnold Avenue.
May 1: Demolition activities are expected
to begin at 20 Belmont Avenue and 22 Arnold Avenue for approximately two weeks.
After demolition, three trees between 16 and 22 Arnold Avenue will be removed.
Recycling and demolition activities at 16
Belmont Avenue are expected to begin on Thursday, April 12, for a duration of approximately
one week.
March 28: Demolition activities will begin
at north side of site (former site of the pizza restaurant and Smith’s printing
operation, student post office and bookstore on Green Street).
March 19-30: The construction
site fence will be extended to encompass all buildings slated for demolition. Necessary
tree removal, which was coordinated with and approved by the Botanic Garden director,
will also occur.
Late March-Mid-April: Proposed demolition
of buildings at north side of site (former site of the pizza restaurant and Smith’s
printing operation, student post office and bookstore on Green Street) and 16 Belmont
Avenue.
Fencing around the construction site has been
erected. Pedestrian access to Belmont Avenue from Arnold Avenue is suspended throughout
construction. Belmont Avenue can be accessed via Green Street.
Building removal activities will begin at north
side of site (former site of the pizza restaurant, and Smith’s printing operation,
student post office and bookstore).
Building removal activities at the south side of site
(16, 20 and 22 Belmont Avenue and 22 Arnold Avenue) are expected to begin in early-
to mid-March.
Building removal activities at the north side of site
are expected to be complete in late March. |
